Hippies vs. Hairies: the early Australian counter-culture in Kuranda North Queensland

In the early 1970s the small North Queensland town of Kuranda was invaded by a horde of transient drop-outs, bohemians and alternative life-stylers. Kuranda became the unlikely site of Australia's first major regional hippy out-post and quickly gained recognition 'as the hippy capital of Australia'. The hippy invasion of Kuranda aroused anxiety from the local media, the local council, police and public. Simultaneously divisions within the Kuranda hippy community arose and these internal divisions, along with increased pressures from the police, council and the media, contributed to Kuranda's diminished relevancy in the Australian counter-culture. This article examines the reactions to the Kuranda hippy invasion from the mainstream media, the local council, the police, and the public. It also places the Kuranda hippy invasion into the broader context of the Australian counter-culture as a pre-ideological counter-culture.

History in the making

History in the Making

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